Radio 4

Historian Peter Jones explores how the Middle Ages understood the Seven Deadly Sins not as a list of vices, but as a map of the mind — a practical guide to living well. In the depth of Siberian winter, Peter Jones explores the medieval diagnosis or Acedia – or as we know it today – depression. Read by Joseph Arkley Written by Peter Jones Abridged by Richard Hamilton Producer: Lu Kemp Peter Jones is a writer and historian who first fell under the spell of the Middle Ages at the age of 9, while visiting the National Portrait Gallery in London. Over his career he has taught at the University of Toronto, University College London, and Complutense University of Madrid. Peter spent several years working at the School of Advanced Studies in Tyumen, Siberia, and his experiences there — especially the class he taught on the Seven Deadly Sins — inspired this book.